Explosive shell or similar body



F. M. HALE. EXPLOSIVE SHELL 0R SIMILAR BODY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, I9l9.

Patented May 6, 1919.

- ms NORRIS PEYERS co.. PNOm-LITNI1. wlsmncrou, u. c.

T all whom it may concern. I Be it known that I, FREDERICK MARTEN 'HALE, aisubjectof the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Bromley, in

' ,the county of Kent, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or fPe'rtaining to Explosive Shells or Similar 1 Bodies,' of which the following is a specification;

This invention relates to explosive shells *or similar bodies (hereinafter referred to as shells) intended to be dropped or discharged 1' from aircraft, and preferably of the type in which there is provided mechanism adapted -'-to prevent a detonator arranged in the rear portion of-theshell from being, by the im- "pact of the shell'against an object, moved forward'against a fixed firing element before the shell has traveled a predetermined dis- 7 M tance through the air.

For the purpose of adapting such a shell for submarine attack by securing that the detonator ofthe shell shall not be free to move forward on impact until after the shell has struck the water, according to this in vention. there are arranged in the shell spring catches adapted to engage the detonator so as to prevent forward movement vthereof until they have been released by a {sleeve which surrounds them and is adapted on-the impact ofrthe shell against thewater to be moved'forwardby its inertia into such 'a position as to free the catches, which are adapted then to" liberate the detonator.

Suitablemeans are, or may be, provided to prevent "the sleeve'froin accidentally moving forward so as to liberate the catches for holding back the detonator.

' ,To'enable the unlock-'ng of the detonator by the impact of the shell against the water I to be easily and quickly dispensed with when i desired, so as to adapt theshell to be fired l "by impact abovewater, at or just below the surface of the water, or on land, there may be" provided means for enabling the sleeve to the catches for holding back the detonator areifreed' byit and consequently do not en- 7 I gage withfthe detonator. I

I For preventing thedetonator from being, fbythe impact of the shell against an object,

moved forward against a fixed firing, ele- I ment before theshell has traveled a predetermined distance through the air, the particular mechanism hereinafter described Specification of Letters Patent.

be'pIaced andheId in a position such that i rumrnn STATES PATENT QFFlCE.

' E xrLosIvE SHELL on SIMILAR BODY. I

Patented May '6, 1919.

Application filed March 12, 1919. Serial No. 282,211.

may be employed, or any other suitable arrangement of parts.

The invention, the various. features of which are defined in the claiming clauses hereof, is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1' is alongitudinal section of an example of a shell constructed according thereto and Fig. 2 is a cross section drawn to a larger scale than Fig. 1 and corresponding chiefly to the line II thereof. I

1 is the body of the shell and 2 the detonator. To secure that the detonator shall not be free to move forward on impact until after the shell has struck the water, there are arranged in the shell spring catches 3 adapted to engage the detonator 2 so as to prevent forward movement thereof until they have been released by a sleeve 4 which surrounds them and is adapted on impact of the shell against the water to be by its inertia moved forward in relation to the body 1 into such a position as to free the catches, which are adapted then to liberate the detonator; the catches 3 have washers 5 which are arranged to be pressed by collars 6 against collars 7 in order to prevent access of water at the catches. To prevent the sleeve 4 from accidentally moving forward so as to liberate the catches 3, a spring 8 is arranged to ress it normally rearward against a pin 9 Fig. 2) secured in the body 1 of the shell.

To enable the unlocking of the detonator by the impact of the shell against the water to be easily and quickly dispensed with, so as to adapt the shell to be firedby impact above water, at or just below the surface of the water, or on land, the sleeve 4 is formed with two notches 10 and 11 (Fig. 2) to receive the pin 9 and also with two notches 12 (Fig. 2) adapted to receive the outer ends of the catches? when the pin 9 is in the notch 11, so that if the sleeve 4 be pressed forward against the spring 8 it can be turned from the position shown in the drawings into a position which will allow the catches 3 to enter the notches 12 and consequently disengage thedetonator 2 and in which the sleeve 4 will be held by the engagement of the pin 9 in the notch 11; the two notches 10 and 11 are, of course, only sufficiently deep to enable the pin 9 to engage satisfactorily therein, so that to turn the sleeve 4 from one position to the other onl", aslight compression of the spring 8 is requ. red:

for preventing the detonator from being, by

the impact 7 of the shell against an object, moved forward. against a fixed firing element before the shell has traveled a predetermined allowed January 14, 1918. This device'comprises a spindle 1 7 threaded into a recess in the rear of the detonatorq2, but adapted to V be disengaged therefrom by, rotation and withdrawalproduced i by action of the, heli-' spindle 17. Split pin-Q19, normally prevents this rotation, but before dropping the bomb 7 this pin is withdrawn and when the bomb is cal wings 18, mounted on the" rear of the dropped the wings 18, revolve, rotating spindle 17, in a direction that will free it from the detonator, and leaving the latter restrained solely by radial pins '3, ,3, which a mesh with any suitable engagingmeansfon the ,detonator, such as shoulder 19. These' pins'are normally forced outward by springs 20, so as to free them from shoulder '19, but may be restrained in meshedpositiontherewith by the surrounding sleeve or collar 4.;

5' When the shell strikes the .water and its forward motion is retarded thereby, collar ,4, continues to move forward, by its inertia,

compressing spring 8. After a given inter val of'time, dependent on the relation of the weight of the collar tothe resistanceof spring 8, the pins 3, are uncovered by the continued motion of collar 4, then are forced out by springs 20, and the detonator is left free to be moved forward relatively to the shell by its inertia, and to explode the charge in the front of the shell. 7 I V Washers 14, 15' and 16, serve to render the joints in the rear of the casing all fluid tight, after the spindle 17, has been with-' drawn and the detonator' liberated as first abovedescribed.

What I claim' is:

1. In an explosive shell suitable for drop! ping from an aircraft'and similar purposes the combination, with the usual container and explosive charge therein, of a detonator movable relative to the chargeand provided with engaging means, radially movable looking pins mounted in the container and 00- operating with said engaging means, a sleeve normally holding said pins in mesh with the engaging means, but capable of moving far enough toward the explosive charge to free i said pins, and springs arranged to force said pins out of engagement as soon as they are released bv: the sleeve. e

2-. A structure such as set out in claim 1,

in combination with a spring normally hold' ingthe-sleeve in engagement with the pins,

but so placed. as to be overcome and flexed by the inertia of. the parts suflici'ently to sleeveout of: engagement with? the pins, distance through the air, is, as is preferred, substantially such as described'in thespecifi- V cation of prior application for 'S. patent, Serial Yo. 268,156, filed December 24;, 1918,

' flange and seat and the radial ,by sealed against the entry of 1-, combined with means for holding said allow the sleeveto era the pins wh n the if motion of the-shell is checked. .v V 1 7 V 3. A structure such asset forth in claim whereby the pinsnialy befreed from mesh WIlth the engaging means ofthe detonator before the shell is started on its 4; In an explosive shell suitable forjdrqp'' v ping from an aircraft and similar purposesthe combination,' with the usual container and explosive charge" therein, o-f:a"detonato;r

movable relative to the -charge;andgprovidedif with enga'ging means,.radial'ly movable locki ing' pins mounted in the container and-ice ;operatin'g*with said engagingmeansfwhen; 7' 7;

1n the r inmost posltlon, shoulders; onisaidw pins, seats in the t casing toward which said,

outward to free it themselves; from the .engagwhich the shell may then ble" inm ersed; I l' a 5 In angexp lo'sive: shellathe'combinatiofi,. V

with the, shell casinghaving a radial-passage V therethrough and a --movable" detonator said passage; of=a movable pin mountedt inf said radial passageway, engaging and. holding the detonator against gmovement,

springtending to force said pin outward, a:

195, mounted in thejcasing transversely of the a flange: on thejpin, an annular seat inthe outer end of; the passage towardwhich the pin and flange are forced by the-fspringgn gasket surrounding the pin and located be tween said seat and flange, and means for 1165' alternately holding said pin-inits inmost position and releasing it .tOI-be, moved :out-

ward by its spring to free the detonator,

7 whereby. thefgasketis compressedjbetween 3110' V fluid whenever i I passage therethe detonator' is released. 2 l

-6.i explosive shell adapted combination J a body," a rear" firing element. located in] saidbody, a front firing element =torb'e; dis- 7 7 charged from :aircra'ft'j'and" comprising in arranged in said body in advance'ofzsaid V -,rear'fi'ringelement, means for? normally rev w straining said rear firing element from movq 7 ing forward against the front firing element, s

an inertia. applianeefadapted to normally i'keepi said restraining means in engagement with the rear. firing element: but-i capable .of;

moving forward and eventuallyfreeinggsaid restraining :5:means,- and means actingrl'fi i throughout any such forward 'movemeptyof said 'inertia 'appliance "0.0 resistv said'imovie- VII lent; whereby uponiinpactof theshell onf the water ,said. inertia appliance begins to. move, forward rga' adually. and thereby liber sealed against the {entrygfofgany lfluids in? j .ates said restraining means after a substantial period of time, so that the rear firing I element is then free to move forward against I the front firing element and explode the shell after the same is completely submerged in -the water. 1

f7. An" explosive shell adapted to be disharged"fromraircraft and comprising in ombination a body,' a rear firing element i'o lo'cated in said body, a front firing element arranged insaid body in advance of said rear Sfiring, element, mechanism adapted to pic- I vent said rear firing element from being, by theimpact'of said shell against an object, liiYIIlOVBd forward'against said front firing ele- V ment before the shell has traveled a pre- 7 determined distance through the air, additional means for normally restraining said rear firing element from moving forward against the-front firing element, an inertia appliance adapted to normally keep said additionalmeans in engagement with the rear element but capable of moving forj ward and eventually freeing said additional means, and means acting throughout any 2 such forward movement of said inertia apl pliance to resist said movement; whereby upon impact of the shell on the Wat-er said inertia appliance begins to move forward I gradually and thereby liberates said additional means after a substantial period of I copies of this patent may be obtained for time, so that the rear firing element is then free to move forward against the front firing element and explode the shell after the same is completely submerged in the water.

8. An explosive shell adapted to be discharged from aircraft and comprising, in

combination, a rear firing element located in said body, a front firing element arranged in said body in advance of said rear firing element, an inertia appliance, mechanism controlled by the inertia appliance for normally restraining said rear firing element from moving forward against said front firing element but eventually releasing the same upon completed movement of the inertia appliance, and means acting throughout any movement of the inertia appliance to I flve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. c. 

